Lenovo ThinkPad X220 tablet review

Lenovo's ThinkPad X220T is a convertible tablet PC in an ultraportable format, offering professional users a system that can capture pen input or be used just like a standard laptop as necessary.

Announced in March, the X220T is essentially a tablet version of the ThinkPad X220 ultraportable, and the two models are broadly similar in appearance.

The X220T is slightly larger, mainly to accommodate the swivelling hinge that allows the screen to twist 180 degrees and fold back over the keyboard, enabling the system to operate as a slate-mode device.

Like the standard X220, this model has the typical ThinkPad high quality build, and packs a decent amount of processing power into a relatively small format.

However, tablet systems are intended to be used in a different way from laptops and, at 1.85kg, the X220T could quickly become tiring to hold while using it in slate mode, especially when compared to some dedicated slate devices.

The X220T's main body frame is longer back to front than the laptop version, which leads to the screen lid being slightly larger. The extra space is put to good use fitting in more controls below the display so that they are accessible when the screen is flipped into slate mode.

These consist of power and display orientation buttons, and a third that acts as control-alt-del, allowing the user to lock the computer or log off.

Also next to the display (and for the same reason) is the fingerprint swipe sensor, which is near the touchpad on the X220 laptop. There are also a pair of speakers and a noise-cancelling microphone for videoconferencing built into the screen bezel, plus an HD webcam above the screen.

However, the main difference is with the screen. Although it's the same 12.5in size as the X220 laptop, the display on this model is dual-mode, supporting multi-touch input using fingertip gestures or a digital stylus that can be used to select objects with greater accuracy or for handwriting input.

It supports the same 1,366x768 resolution as its laptop counterpart, but is better protected against damage by a Corning Gorilla Glass overlay.

Tablet operation is backed on the X220T by a Lenovo application called SimpleTap. This is accessed via a floating red button on the Windows desktop and displays a configurable bar when tapped.

By default, the SimpleTap buttons provide easy access to the volume control, webcam, wireless on/off and other functions, but it can also be customised with buttons linking to specific applications or web sites.

As with other tablet PCs, Windows lets you write using the digital stylus into a special input panel that lurks at the left edge of the screen until needed. Microsoft's handwriting recognition is pretty impressive, at least with commonly used English words.

However, as already mentioned, the X220T is fairly heavy to hold with one arm for any length of time, as you have to if you are writing on the screen.